Timothy M. Bonds

Senior Fellow

Santa Monica Office

Education

M.B.A. in business administration, Washington University in St. Louis; M.S. in aero/astro engineering, University of Illinois; B.S. in aero/astro engineering, University of Michigan

One Page Bio

Media Resources

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Overview

Timothy M. Bonds is a senior fellow at the RAND Corporation. From 2011 to 2019, he was vice president, Army Research Division, and director of the RAND Arroyo Center. Previously, he served as acting director from 2009 to 2010, deputy director from 2003 to 2009, and director of the Aerospace Force Development Program within RAND Project AIR FORCE from 1999 to 2003. A member of the RAND staff for over twenty-six years, Bonds has led a variety of studies for the Arroyo Center, Project AIR FORCE, and the National Defense Research Institute. Areas of emphasis include assessing the economic, technical, and social impacts of the 5G Era; forces and capabilities needed to meet national security objectives and commitments; evaluating C2 (command and control) capabilities; personnel mission-day metrics; and military employment of commercial space systems and services. He has served as a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, and as consultant to the Army Science Board. Among his most recent publications are Securing America's 5G Era; America’s Strategy-Resource Mismatch: Addressing the Gaps Between U.S. National Strategy and Military Capacity; Limiting Regret: Building the Army We Will Need; Strategy-Policy Mismatch: How the US Army Can Help Close Gaps in Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction; and Army Deployments to OIF and OEF. Prior to joining RAND, Bonds spent nine years in the aerospace industry, where he developed hypersonic vehicles. He holds an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.S. in aero/astro engineering from the University of Illinois.

Research Focus

Selected Publications

Timothy M. Bonds, Michael Johnson, Paul S. Steinberg, Limiting Regret: Building the Army We Will Need, RAND Corporation (RR-1320), 2015

Timothy M. Bonds, Dave Baiocchi, Laurie L. McDonald, Army Deployments to OIF and OEF, RAND Corporation (DB-587), 2010

Timothy M. Bonds et al., Measuring the Tempo of the Mobility Air Forces, RAND Corporation (TR-150), 2005

Timothy M. Bonds et al., Employing Commercial Satellite Communications, RAND Corporation (MR-1192), 2000

Timothy M. Bonds, Eric V. Larson, Derek Eaton, Richard E. Darilek, Strategy-Policy Mismatch: How the U.S. Army Can Help Close Gaps in Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, RAND Corporation (RR-541), 2014

Timothy M. Bonds, James Bonomo, Daniel Gonzales, C Richard Neu, Sam Absher, Edward Parker, Spencer Pfeifer, Jen Brookes, Julia Brackup, Jordan Willcox, Dave Frelinger, Anita Szafran, America's 5G Era: Securing Its Advantages and Ourselves, RAND (PE-A435-1), 2020 (forthcoming)

Timothy M. Bonds, Joel B. Predd, Timothy R. Heath, Michael S. Chase, Michael Johnson, Michael J. Lostumbo, James Bonomo, Muharrem Mane, Paul S. Steinberg, What Role Can Land-Based, Multi-Domain Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) Forces Play in Deterring or Defeating Aggression? (RR-1820), 2017

Timothy M. Bonds, Michael J. Mazarr, James Dobbins, Michael J. Lostumbo, Michael Johnson, David A. Shlapak, Jeffrey Martini, Scott Boston, Cristina L. Garafola, John Gordon IV, Sonni Efron, Paul S. Steinberg, Yvonne K. Crane, Daniel M. Norton, America's Strategy-Resource Mismatch Addressing the Gaps Between U.S. National Strategy and Military Capacity, RAND (RR-2691), 2019

Commentary

Deterring Putin in Eastern Europe
After having gone years without a significant threat from Russia, NATO leaders and legislatures now may be recognizing that the security environment has changed and that the more comfortable political status quo is gone. But if NATO were to decide to stand firmly together, conflict in Europe may be deterred and strategic stability restored.
Dec 16, 2021 The RAND Blog
U.S. Needs Larger Army, Not a Smaller One
To meet potential challenges in the Baltics and Korea while at the same time countering the existing terror threat posed by the Islamic State group and dealing with other problems that will doubtless emerge, the United States would need more troops, not less.
Sep 9, 2015 Army Times
Sounding the Car Alarm on Hackers
Security protections on vehicles have not kept pace with systems that control safety features, navigation capabilities, and wireless communication functions. Onboard computer networks will likely become much more attractive to hackers, whether their aim is to steal a car, eavesdrop on a conversation, stalk a potential victim, or cause a devastating traffic accident.
Jun 30, 2014 The San Francisco Chronicle
Satellites for Rent
Reports earlier this year that the U.S. Department of Defense leased a Chinese satellite to support military operations in Africa sparked concern that the arrangement could compromise control over U.S. military communications, or, worse, allow Chinese intelligence gatherers access to privileged military data.
Nov 8, 2013 U.S. News & World Report
Bad Stats Skew Defense Needs
The urgency with which the fiscal cliff question must be addressed should not excuse faulty calculations when it comes to the U.S. military's operational and personnel needs, write Tim Bonds and Lauren Skrabala.
Dec 7, 2012 The Orange County Register

Publications

Report
America's 5G Era: Gaining Competitive Advantages While Securing the Country and Its People
Researchers assessing the fifth-generation (5G) wireless ecosystem found important implications of 5G-era devices, networks, and services for securing data and protecting individual privacy.
May 24, 2021
Report
North Korean Conventional Artillery: A Means to Retaliate, Coerce, Deter, or Terrorize Populations
A series of visualizations brings into sharp relief the threat posed by the massive numbers of North Korean conventional artillery systems that are within range of major South Korean population centers.
Aug 6, 2020
Report
America's Strategy-Resource Mismatch: Addressing the Gaps Between U.S. National Strategy and Military Capacity
This report describes the specific technological, doctrinal, and budgetary gaps between the stated strategic and defense policies of the United States and the resources and capabilities that would be required to implement those policies successfully.
May 7, 2019
Tool
Four Problems on the Korean Peninsula: North Korea's Expanding Nuclear Capabilities Drive a Complex Set of Problems
This toolkit provides visualizations illuminating four Korea-related problems: North Korea's nuclear arsenal, North Korean artillery systems, evacuating South Korean population centers, and securing North Korean nuclear weapons and facilities.
Jan 11, 2019
Report
What Role Can Land-Based, Multi-Domain Anti-Access/Area Denial Forces Play in Deterring or Defeating Aggression?
This report examines the role that land-based, multi-domain anti-access/area denial forces can play in helping the U.S. and its allies and partners deter or defeat aggression in the western Pacific, European littoral areas, and the Persian Gulf.
May 22, 2017
Testimony
Limiting Regret: Building the Army We Will Need — An Update: Addendum
Document submitted April 17, 2017, as an addendum to testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces on March 1, 2017.
May 2, 2017
Testimony
Limiting Regret: Building the Army We Will Need — An Update
Testimony presented before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces on March 1, 2017.
Mar 1, 2017
Testimony
Limiting Regret: Building the Army We Will Need: Addendum
Testimony with annotated slides presented before the National Commission on the Future of the Army on August 18, 2015.
Oct 6, 2015
Report
Limiting Regret: Building the Army We Will Need
This report addresses the size of the U.S. Army necessary to ensure the nation satisfies its national security commitments and mitigates the most important risks.
Sep 23, 2015
Testimony
Limiting Regret: Building the Army We Will Need
Testimony presented before the National Commission on the Future of the Army on August 18, 2015.
Aug 18, 2015
Research Brief
Closing the Strategy-Policy Gap in Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction
Two presidents have declared counterproliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) a top national priority, but it has not been budgeted or resourced as such. This brief summarizes ground force capacities and capabilities needed to eliminate WMD.
Sep 24, 2014
Report
Strategy-Policy Mismatch: How the U.S. Army Can Help Close Gaps in Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction
Two presidents have declared counterproliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) a top national priority, but it has not been budgeted or resourced as such. This report analyzes ground force capacities and capabilities needed to eliminate WMD.
Sep 24, 2014
Report
Army Network-Enabled Operations: Expectations, Performance, and Opportunities for Future Improvements
The Army's staking much of its future battlefield success on the belief that units linked together with appropriate networks can dominate their adversaries by learning enemy locations and attacking with small arms fire and precision-guided munitions.
Mar 13, 2012
Research Brief
Standing Up a More Capable Joint Task Force Headquarters
The U.S. Army needs to improve its ability to command and control joint, interagency, and multinational forces in diverse environments, and to prepare Army headquarters to perform as components of, or headquarters for, joint task forces.
Nov 18, 2011
Research Brief
Can the Army Deploy More Soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan?
Assess the demands placed upon the Army by the continuing deployments of soldiers to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nov 17, 2011
Report
Enhancing Army Joint Force Headquarters Capabilities
The U.S. Army needs to improve its ability to command and control joint, interagency, and multinational forces in diverse environments, and to prepare Army headquarters to perform as components of, or headquarters for, joint task forces.
Aug 10, 2010
Report
Army Deployments to OIF and OEF
Assess the demands placed upon the Army by the continuing deployments of soldiers to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jan 29, 2010
Research Brief
The Mission Day: A New Metric to Evaluate Peacetime Demands on Mobility Air Forces
RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF) has developed a new metric that measures how much mobility air forces (MAF) manpower is available for peacetime engagement missions after training requirements, quality-of-life standards, and other needs have been met.
Nov 25, 2005
Report
Measuring the Tempo of the Mobility Air Forces
Develops a new metric for measuring the effect of operations tempo on the readiness of the mobility air forces.
2005
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 26, No. 2, Summer 2002
Surveys RAND research conducted since Sept. 11, 2001, that examines the dimensions of the terrorist threat and potential responses to it, and issues such as global priorities, oversees deployments, homeland security, and state and local initiatives.
2002
Report
Taking Command — Toward Improving Command and Control
After describing some of the challenges faced by the Air Force and its theater command and control forces in recent contingencies, the authors derive new training, preparation, and capabilities that those forces should have.
2001
Report
Employing Commercial Satellite Communications: Wideband Investment Options for the Department of Defense
This report assesses military use of commercial wideband satellites by evaluating their effectiveness across several characteristics defined by the United States Space Command.
2000
Report
A Tool for Evaluating Force Modernization Options
Military resource allocation choices are often contentious, especially when — as now — international events and domestic budgets require significant changes in the character and capabilities of U.S. military forces.
1998
Report
Proceedings of the RAND Project AIR FORCE Workshop on Transatmospheric Vehicles
A workshop was held at RAND in April 1995 to examine TAV mission, technical feasibility, and design issues. This report summarizes the proceedings of that workshop and subsequent research into relevant questions flowing from the discussions.
1997

Multimedia

4:28
Limiting Regret and Deterring Russian Aggression in the Baltic States
Mar 1, 2017
39:31
Autonomous Vehicles: Imagining the Day-to-Day of the Future
Nov 12, 2016
0:45
RAND’s Nidhi Kalra on Why You Should Love Autonomous Cars
Nov 12, 2016